Microsoft yesterday launched Internet Explorer 8, the latest version of its web browser which it says has been developed with security in mind.
The company claims that IE8 blocks two to four times more malware attacks than other browsers.
Microsoft developed the new browser with a security focus after extensive research and input from "tens of millions" of customer sessions showed security was of paramount importance to internet users, Microsoft said.
It also includes features such as "accelerators" - which allow users to right-click a word and instantly email or share it - and "web slices" - which make information from sites such as Digg, Yahoo mail and eBay available from any web page.
The browser is available for download in 25 languages.
Meanwhile, Google has been working with developers to create new uses for the JavaScript V8 engine which had been included in its Chrome browser.
The company has now launched a new site dedicated to showcasing these experiments and soliciting new ones.
"The results of their experimentation have been great, with each project turning the browser window into an interactive application, a game, or even a piece of art," said Aaron Koblin, an employee of Google's Creative Lab.
The experiments include a full-featured Tetris clone, a bouncing browser ball that can navigate between windows, and a complicated game involving multiple browser windows of varying sizes.
They have been designed to work with Google Chrome, but should work with every browser which supports JavaScript V8.
Google worked with developers including Ryan Alexander, Josh Nimoy and Mark Mahoney for the project.